Recognizing the Best

Today I'm going to Share one of the First Articles I Wrote which was Published in Various Fitness Magazines, Football Magazines and has been well Circulated Since. We all need Strong Support from the Best around to get to our Goals, but how do we Find or Recognize those People around us? Here is a List of Points fully Updated for you to Learn how to Recognize those High Effective Coaches when you find them.This Directed at Individuals Coaching Clients, but I've Written a Version for Teams. You may be wanting to know how to Find an Effective Coach or be a Coach looking for New Ideas. This can also apply to Personal Trainers, Team Coaches, etc.

1.Being Proactive

Being a Coach in any area of Performance Improvement be it Fitness, Business, Life Coaching is not about Maximizing the allotted Time with a Client. It's about Proactively Understanding, and Impacting the your Clients Life then Leading them to their Goals. That's how you get lasting Change. Look at your Coach ask the following Types of Questions:Is my Coach aiming to Understand my Whole Situation from the Personal to Performance Related?Is my Coach constantly looking to find new Ways that I can be Better in All Areas?Is the Coach taking Time to look in on you, and Check in?Is he/she texting my Session in the Morning so I can look forward to it? Sometimes the Simplest things make the Difference. For example I've had a Clients where a simple "Good Morning, You've Got this" type text has made all the Impact through just Knowing someone Believes in them. I take the time to really know the Deep Personal Issues that have faced my Clients in the past, and I hear you say it "that's not my Business" WRONG. It's aspects like this that are Entirely the Effective Coaches Business because you can't Impact someone without Impacting them "between the ears". To Change Minds you have to know People. That is just one aspect where your Coach should Proactive. These are just a few examples of your Coach can be Proactive. Do you only hear from your Coach while he's training you? If it's a yes then you may need to find a new Coach.

2.Beginning With an End in Mind

Any one in any Field responsible for the Improvement of Individuals should have definite Goal or Destination for where they want that Client to be. A better Word is "Vision". A Coach and Client should work together define a Vision or Picture of what the Goal is, and what Completing that Goal looks like. This Should also include Writing a Mission Statement. Missions Statements, and Visions are more Powerful than Goals. A Coach should be discussing with you aspects such as:What are your Beliefs and Values?What kind of Character to do want to Project or Promote?Are your Performance, Physique or Health Related?Visions and Mission Statements are used because you need to have Powerful Compelling Motivation. This then gives you Start point to work back from. Effecting Coaching begins with an end to work towards. If you Coach does not participate in Goal Setting with you then he is not doing his job pure and simple.

3.Put the Controllable Factors First

Once you have the Vision, and the Mission Statement you then need to focus on Directing Effort. Your Effort should always be Directed, and Focused on the Controllable aspects of a Situation.This one is something simple, and again it's Something every Coach should consider in Planing. Follow this Simple Exercise:1-Looking at your End Point list all of the Controllable Factors from ALL aspects of your Life you can Control to Impact Positively Towards your Vision.2-Group this into High Impact/Low Impact Areas3-Your High Impact Areas are the ones you will focus 80% of your Effort because these are the Areas that are Responsible for Highest Proportion of Change towards your Vision. In other words a Change the High Impact Areas will have the biggest Impact.It's Known as the 80/20 Rule, and if you don't follow it you're wasting your Effort. Highly Effective Coaches wont have you waste your Effort. The last thing you need is a Coach wasting your Effort.

4.Look for Win/Win

How do you define Winning? Well an Effective Coach will go for the Big Wins where possible in as many areas as possible. Developing the Individual vs Winning? What is your Win/Win? These are the are the areas which will Impact both the Development of the Individual, and their Results. One of Best Examples of this is a Focus on not just Training or Working, but the Focus on Creating an Active Life. How is this Win/Win? It Develops both the Mental and Physical Sides of Performance. It's a different Mental Frame than just looking at Workouts. These are the areas you want to look at if you want to be an Effective Coach, and it links in with previous areas discussed above.I Divide this into Three areas:1-Character:How can a Work be more than just a Workout? What Positive Traits can I Develop through Workouts? 2-Relationships: How can you show the Client how what they do Relates to Life? How can you Improve the Clients relationships to Food..Health..People..Challenge? Team Mates?3-Agreements: Very simple..do you have the buy in from the Client? If not start again.Does your Coach do this? If not take a look. Detail and Planing in defining your Wins is one of the Hallmarks of the Highly Effective Coach. If all you is Workout then you have the Wrong Coach.

5.Understand First then Be Understood

This Point has been mentioned in other Points above but it's worth focus on its own. A Coach should Know their Clients before they can have an Impact. A Coaches ability to help Clients is limited by the Knowledge they have of them. Has your Coach taken time in everything from Fitness Tests to Understanding your Emotional Needs? Does your Coach Understand your Working Situation? etc, etc. Its a very simple aspect of Managing People that if a Coach wants a Client to accept the Message then they have to deliver this in a Way that States what you Will take from Training, does your Coach explain how what they do is for your Benefit? Does your Coach aim to Understand your Drives? Your Ambitions? Your Demands? Your Personal Situation?

6.Developing Synergy

Unless you're on a Sport Specific Program then your Coach should be focusing on the right Mixture or Combination of all aspects of Development. Your Coach should never just Focus one type of Fitness or just on the Physical. Your Coach should have the Aim of Developing you as Whole Individual. If not it is One Dimensional Coaching. This is the difference between being a 10 in one area, but losing out on your Goals because by being a 7 in more areas you would have Won more. Try to dig into what a Coach offers, and you may find the best Consider more Areas. If all your Coach thinks you need is a Workout but Ignores what Triggers the Behaviors that Negatively Impact you then your Coach needs to Consider all Factors. Get a Program that Builds all Areas that will Influence you reaching your Vision. Highly Effective Coaching comes down too the Synergy of the Elements and Variables as Whole. Plan the Plan, and then Work the Plan. Look for a Coach that Improve you as a Balanced Athlete. Mind, Body and Character.

7.Sharpening the Elements

Once you've put the above together then what you need is Constant, and Ongoing Improvement. This should be in all areas of your Plan. This should be a constant Process of Observing the Plan in Action, and Adapting. The Goal should never Change, but what should is the Plan if it needs to. Look for areas such as:

Does your Coach constantly Improve his methods?
Does your Coach Drive you to Improving in each Area even a Small Fraction at a Time?
Does your Coach set aside Reflective Time for themselves to Consider their own Methods or Conduct?

If your Coach does not want to Constantly Improve of he thinks he the Best way then look again. He's either Arrogant or he gives the Same Plan to Everyone. No one Knows it all, and no Coach has the only Way.

You can add more, but this Should get you thinking. Are you with the right Coach to meet your Vision and Mission in Life?